Snow coats Midwest as storm heads east
More than 22 million under winter warnings
More than 22 million Americans were under a winter weather warnings or advisories Thursday as a snowstorm that hammered Denver with the biggest two-day January snowfall in more than 30 years slowly pushed eastward.
“Winter storm continues for the Upper Midwest (and) Great Lakes Thursday with heavy, blowing snow leading to dangerous travel conditions,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said in a statement.
Additional snowfall totals of around 6-12 inches are forecast for portions of the Upper Great Lakes, and locally higher totals over a foot are possible, the statement said. Much of the snowfall is expected to occur over a period of a few hours. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour and gusty winds could make “travel difficult to impossible.”
Snow was falling Thursday morning from Iowa to Michigan, the heaviest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, AccuWeather said. Heavy, wet snow will continue to fall across parts of the Upper Midwest through the day, and 6-12 inches of snow is expected across much of Michigan.
The storm is expected to reach the interior Northeast between late Thursday and early Friday morning, bringing what the weather service called “snow and a wintry mix” to that region, followed by a cold front heading toward the East Coast.
Other weather developments:
Heavy snow falling across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since Wednesday night was accompanied by thunder and lightning Thursday. Thundersnow only happens during intense bouts of snow, like what is unfolding over the Upper Midwest, AccuWeather said.
Thursday’s snowfall pushed the Minneapolis-St. Paul area over 50 inches for the season, meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas tweeted. That is twice the average for the date and about equal to an entire winter for the region.
⬤ Over 2 million people were under a tornado watch in the South, AccuWeather reported.
⬤ New York City appeared unlikely to be hit with snow in the latest storm. The city could set a record for the longest number of consecutive days without measurable snow if the snowless streak lasts through Feb. 6, AccuWeather said.
⬤ Los Angeles County, which has 88 cities and 10 million people, collected enough water from a series of storms over the last three weeks to supply about 800,000 people for a year, said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Public Works department.
4 feet of snow in parts of Colorado
The top Colorado snowfall report came from Wolf Creek Ski resort, where 52 inches were recorded, AccuWeather said. The resort is located 10,300 feet above sea level in southwestern Colorado. Nearby Crested Butte was hit with 48 inches of snow.
In Nebraska, Kilfoil Township west of Omaha, at an elevation of 2,644 feet, measured the top snowfall report in the state with 23.7 inches of snow. In Callaway, Nebraska, located west of Kilfoi, 23 inches of snow fell.
The heavy precipitation made for difficult driving conditions, so some folks found alternate ways to reach their destinations. Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Nebraska, which received 7 inches of snow, posted video of Chief Financial Officer Mike O’Dell biking to work after getting stuck in a snow pile.
Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin: ‘Tricky travel conditions’
Parts of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin could see 4 to 8 inches of snow Thursday. Gusty winds up to 35 mph will lead to instances of blowing snow, along with “near-whiteout conditions” during the heaviest snow, the weather service warned.
“Snow is causing tricky travel conditions statewide,” the Minnesota Department of Transportation tweeted. “Slow down and give our crews room to work.”
In Wisconsin, the heaviest snow totals are expected to be 5 to 8 inches for the central and east-central parts of the state, as well as 5 to 8 inches in Green Bay and Fox Cities, the Appleton PostCrescent, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports. Northern Door County could see up to 10 inches of snow.
Colo. digs out; some roads closed
In Colorado, sections of I-70 remained closed Thursday after a pileup involving nine semi-trucks and 12 passenger vehicles on Wednesday shut down a 160-mile stretch of the interstate in both directions from Denver to the Kansas state line. Sections of the road have been closed for more than 16 hours, AccuWeather said.
Parts of Colorado received up to a foot of snow, and road closures remain scattered Thursday. In Denver, Bryan Wilson dug himself out – and some neighbors as well.
“I just want people to get from point A to point B safely,” Wilson told Denver7TV. “I can manage, but there are plenty of people who can’t and they’re basically trapped in their houses and their apartments until (the snow) does get cleared.”
String of California storms produced abundant snowpack
The series of atmospheric river storms that caused so much chaos in California over more than three weeks also brought some relief to the formerly parched state, even if it didn’t end a drought now in its fourth year.
The Sierra snowpack, which supplies 30% of California’s water, stands at 245% of its average for this date and at 126% of the traditional April 1 peak. All three sections of the Sierra – north, central and south – are registering above 200% of normal for the date, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
In addition, the National Weather Service said the average rainfall for all of California in the 22-day stretch from Dec. 26 to Jan. 17 was nearly 111⁄2 inches, with four locations getting more than 29 inches. Downtown San Francisco, which averages a little under 24 inches of rain a year, received 17 inches in that period.
After yet another storm drenched Northern California on Wednesday, the state’s in line for a dry spell.
Tornado confirmed in Arkansas; more dangerous weather looms
Dangerous gusty winds will be possible Thursday across parts of Arkansas, where at least one tornado was confirmed Wednesday.
“Unsecured objects will be blown around, high profile vehicles will be a challenge to drive, and area lakes and rivers could become dangerous to navigate,” the weather service said.
New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont could see snow
Snow and some ice are expected to expand into the Northeast on Thursday and into Friday, according to the weather service.
Snow totals of 4-8 inches were forecast from Upstate New York east through Vermont, New Hampshire and coastal Maine late Thursday and into the day Friday. Locally higher totals over a foot are possible for higher elevations of the Green and White Mountains.
Some accumulating freezing rain is also possible, especially for the Catskills, Poconos, and Berkshires.